[fic] The Key (Chapter One) - Jack/Ten/Ianto
Title: The Key [Chapter One]
Rating: PG - R
Pairing: Jack/Ten/Ianto and pairings there of.
Warning: Spoilers from Series 2 on of Doctor Who and Series 1-2 of Torchwood, just to be safe. Un-beta'd.
Summary: An alien child falls on Jack out of thin air, the Doctor appears at Torchwood. What exactly is going on?
Notes: Still working this story out, so input/con crit is always welcome.
Prologue
"Hello there Ianto Jones, I'm the Doctor."
Ianto Jones blinked, taking the proffered hand hesitantly. His mind unwillingly thought back to the metal jar he remembered being at Torchwood Three and he resisted the urge to flinch as the Doctor shook his hand. "I'm sorry, I think you have the wrong location." Ianto glanced at his hand for a second, wanting to wipe it but didn't know how to without being rude. "Jack is at the Hub. I can take you there, if you'd like?"
"Oh no, no." The Doctor shook his head, tilting it slightly as his eyes focused on a point just over Ianto's head. "I'm not here for Jack. I'm here for you."
"Oh, well. Um..." Something about the way the Doctor said that, eyes falling to meet Ianto's made him blush. He knew the Doctor well. His research team at the Torchwood Institute in London had been focused on finding information on the Doctor. Ianto knew everything when it came to the threat that was the last of the Time Lords. What he didn't know was why the Doctor was sitting on his couch in the middle of the night in the dark waiting for Ianto. "Would you like some coffee?"
The Doctor smiled and for some reason it made Ianto irritated. "Jack's told me all about your coffee."
"Hopefully only good things." Ianto turned away from the Doctor and headed for the kitchen, tired of being scrutinized by a person he knew but didn't know at the same time. Jack had left him for this Doctor. Forgiveness wasn't exactly something Ianto was good at. "Milk, sugar?"
"A little bit of both, I suppose." The Doctor followed him, making himself at home in the small apartment that was originally meant for two. Lisa's things still sat abandoned in a corner. He didn't think he'd ever be ready to get rid of it. "Tell me, Ianto. What did you do at Torchwood One?"
"Jack told you about that too, did he?" The statement came out harsher than he intended, but he didn't back down from it.
The Doctor's expression softened. "Jack talked a lot about you."
"I'm sure he did." Along with everyone else he's ever known and shagged, Ianto added in his head as he put on some hot water. "I was a junior researcher."
"So you came into contact with alien devices, then?" The Doctor questioned as he watched Ianto work.
"Not much; I was a glorified historian." Ianto grabbed some milk from the fridge. "I never dealt with many devices until I came to work with Jack."
"No time warps? Space alterers?"
"None of the kind." Ianto shoved a cup at the Doctor. "Is there a point you're trying to get to? Because I haven't had a day off in months and I was quite ready to enjoy a nap when I walked through that door, not play twenty questions with a Time Lord." The Doctor sat quietly, gaze still on Ianto as he sipped at his coffee. Ianto took a deep breath. "It's been a very long month. So please, I would like it if you would leave."
"I can't. Not yet, anyway." The Doctor set his cup down on the table. "There's something very interesting about you, Ianto Jones, and I won't leave until I've figured this one out myself."
***
They had been staring at each other for close to an hour and Jack had an inkling that he was going to lose this one. After running a few tests, Jack confirmed what he already knew. She was an alien alright, but none of the databases had any information on her kind and nothing that he remembered from the Time Agency fit her description. Her body resembled a human child at the age of five. Her pale skin was due to blood that ran milky white through her veins. Her inner structure was deceptively human, but one of the tests showed that her bones were denser, adding to the weight that had killed Jack on the street earlier. She had yet to say anything, her face remaining as impassive as ever. Jack contemplated waking the rest of his team. It would be no use to just put her into the cells and keep her there when she posed no real threat. "You wouldn't mind telling me your name at least?" Jack grumbled.
The sirens of the main door of the hub were his only answer. "Stay here," he told the child as he hopped up the stairs to greet either his returning staff--which wasn't due for another few days--or some new enemy. Though the later was more likely, the telltale suit gave an immediate answer. "Ianto!" Jack grinned. "Just in time! I was just about to--" Jack jolted to a stop, eyes blinking as they focused on the figure following close behind Ianto. The unadulterated joy that always came with the appearance of this person washed through him. "Doctor?"
"Jack." The Doctor nodded in acknowledgment, hands in his pocket as he rocked on his heel. "Nice place you got here. A bit dark and evil-genius-looking, but nice."
"Says the person who travels around in a police box." Jack raised an eyebrow and shifting on his feet in a way that he only did when Martha Jones walked into the hub. Ianto frowned. "Sorry to be rude but, what are you doing here?"
"Oh, I thought I'd have Ianto here give me a tour." The Doctor glanced at Ianto, who was busy studying the insides of the Hub. "Seemed like a good idea at the time, but if I'm intruding..?"
"All you had to do was ask." Jack's tone bellied the hurt at not being the first that the Doctor came to, but the wide smile stayed on the Captain's face. "Actually, you could probably help with a bit of a puzzle that fell, quite literally, out of the sky." Jack led the two of them back to the medical alcove. "I don't know what to make of her. She's not human, I know that for sure. But she's not like any alien in our database."
Ianto looked down from the railing at the child sitting on the operating table. Her eyes--deep dark depths--glanced up and met Ianto's. We have found you, Ianto Jones. The Key.
Ianto hit the ground in a dead faint.
Rating: PG - R
Pairing: Jack/Ten/Ianto and pairings there of.
Warning: Spoilers from Series 2 on of Doctor Who and Series 1-2 of Torchwood, just to be safe. Un-beta'd.
Summary: An alien child falls on Jack out of thin air, the Doctor appears at Torchwood. What exactly is going on?
Notes: Still working this story out, so input/con crit is always welcome.
Prologue
"Hello there Ianto Jones, I'm the Doctor."
Ianto Jones blinked, taking the proffered hand hesitantly. His mind unwillingly thought back to the metal jar he remembered being at Torchwood Three and he resisted the urge to flinch as the Doctor shook his hand. "I'm sorry, I think you have the wrong location." Ianto glanced at his hand for a second, wanting to wipe it but didn't know how to without being rude. "Jack is at the Hub. I can take you there, if you'd like?"
"Oh no, no." The Doctor shook his head, tilting it slightly as his eyes focused on a point just over Ianto's head. "I'm not here for Jack. I'm here for you."
"Oh, well. Um..." Something about the way the Doctor said that, eyes falling to meet Ianto's made him blush. He knew the Doctor well. His research team at the Torchwood Institute in London had been focused on finding information on the Doctor. Ianto knew everything when it came to the threat that was the last of the Time Lords. What he didn't know was why the Doctor was sitting on his couch in the middle of the night in the dark waiting for Ianto. "Would you like some coffee?"
The Doctor smiled and for some reason it made Ianto irritated. "Jack's told me all about your coffee."
"Hopefully only good things." Ianto turned away from the Doctor and headed for the kitchen, tired of being scrutinized by a person he knew but didn't know at the same time. Jack had left him for this Doctor. Forgiveness wasn't exactly something Ianto was good at. "Milk, sugar?"
"A little bit of both, I suppose." The Doctor followed him, making himself at home in the small apartment that was originally meant for two. Lisa's things still sat abandoned in a corner. He didn't think he'd ever be ready to get rid of it. "Tell me, Ianto. What did you do at Torchwood One?"
"Jack told you about that too, did he?" The statement came out harsher than he intended, but he didn't back down from it.
The Doctor's expression softened. "Jack talked a lot about you."
"I'm sure he did." Along with everyone else he's ever known and shagged, Ianto added in his head as he put on some hot water. "I was a junior researcher."
"So you came into contact with alien devices, then?" The Doctor questioned as he watched Ianto work.
"Not much; I was a glorified historian." Ianto grabbed some milk from the fridge. "I never dealt with many devices until I came to work with Jack."
"No time warps? Space alterers?"
"None of the kind." Ianto shoved a cup at the Doctor. "Is there a point you're trying to get to? Because I haven't had a day off in months and I was quite ready to enjoy a nap when I walked through that door, not play twenty questions with a Time Lord." The Doctor sat quietly, gaze still on Ianto as he sipped at his coffee. Ianto took a deep breath. "It's been a very long month. So please, I would like it if you would leave."
"I can't. Not yet, anyway." The Doctor set his cup down on the table. "There's something very interesting about you, Ianto Jones, and I won't leave until I've figured this one out myself."
***
They had been staring at each other for close to an hour and Jack had an inkling that he was going to lose this one. After running a few tests, Jack confirmed what he already knew. She was an alien alright, but none of the databases had any information on her kind and nothing that he remembered from the Time Agency fit her description. Her body resembled a human child at the age of five. Her pale skin was due to blood that ran milky white through her veins. Her inner structure was deceptively human, but one of the tests showed that her bones were denser, adding to the weight that had killed Jack on the street earlier. She had yet to say anything, her face remaining as impassive as ever. Jack contemplated waking the rest of his team. It would be no use to just put her into the cells and keep her there when she posed no real threat. "You wouldn't mind telling me your name at least?" Jack grumbled.
The sirens of the main door of the hub were his only answer. "Stay here," he told the child as he hopped up the stairs to greet either his returning staff--which wasn't due for another few days--or some new enemy. Though the later was more likely, the telltale suit gave an immediate answer. "Ianto!" Jack grinned. "Just in time! I was just about to--" Jack jolted to a stop, eyes blinking as they focused on the figure following close behind Ianto. The unadulterated joy that always came with the appearance of this person washed through him. "Doctor?"
"Jack." The Doctor nodded in acknowledgment, hands in his pocket as he rocked on his heel. "Nice place you got here. A bit dark and evil-genius-looking, but nice."
"Says the person who travels around in a police box." Jack raised an eyebrow and shifting on his feet in a way that he only did when Martha Jones walked into the hub. Ianto frowned. "Sorry to be rude but, what are you doing here?"
"Oh, I thought I'd have Ianto here give me a tour." The Doctor glanced at Ianto, who was busy studying the insides of the Hub. "Seemed like a good idea at the time, but if I'm intruding..?"
"All you had to do was ask." Jack's tone bellied the hurt at not being the first that the Doctor came to, but the wide smile stayed on the Captain's face. "Actually, you could probably help with a bit of a puzzle that fell, quite literally, out of the sky." Jack led the two of them back to the medical alcove. "I don't know what to make of her. She's not human, I know that for sure. But she's not like any alien in our database."
Ianto looked down from the railing at the child sitting on the operating table. Her eyes--deep dark depths--glanced up and met Ianto's. We have found you, Ianto Jones. The Key.
Ianto hit the ground in a dead faint.